Mac users to get iPlayer downloads by end of year

BBC director general defends decision to go Windows-only

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The BBC has said that it intends to launch a download version of its iPlayer video on-demand service for Mac users before the end of the year. At present Mac users can only access a streaming version of the player.

Commenting on the BBC blog, director general Mark Thompson claimed it as “evidence of the hard work that the BBC is committing to supporting other platforms."

Mac attack

The BBC launched the iPlayer last July, initially on a Windows-only platform. Following noisy criticism from disgruntled Mac users and Open Source fans that earned the backing of the BBC Trust and the Government, the BBC finally unveiled a player offering limited streaming functionality for Mac and Linux users in December.

Defending the Windows-only launch, Mr Thompson explained that the BBC’s decision was based on the fact that it simply wanted to offer a functional player to as many people as quickly as it could.

“Were we to choose to not develop any systems or services until they could be received by every single individual licence-fee payer, our capacity for development and innovation … would be severely limited," said Mr Thompson.